The Domestication Mission
by ptrz
Summary: Apparently, you can have a child without getting pregnant or adopting. Sometimes you can get one by having a completely long and absurd mission. Technically, this is just babysitting. But nah, let's just call it a mission.
1. Prologue

**THE DOMESTICATION MISSION**

**Prologue**

He closed his one working eye in frustration. He needed to look away from the hesitation stitched on their faces. And the redness in Steve's face.

"It's a way to keep you low-profile," he said, finding the will to open his eye and look at the people in front of him.

"By hiding in, what, fame? Media? Well, I know I'm good at hiding in plain sight but this sight just isn't plain at all," Natasha Romanoff reasoned out, barely keeping the natural calmness in her voice anymore.

"Well, you aren't exactly in the position to hide in that plain sight anymore, Agent, and you know it," he replied before being cut off by the other person.

"How is this supposed to be good for me then? Don't you think the daughter of Captain America is going to be targeted by a lot of enemies out there?" Steve Rogers asked next, sounding less calm than the woman beside him.

Nicholas Fury held his hands out in front of him to finally silence them. "Look, Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff," he started, slowly putting his hands down, "SHIELD isn't completely back up just yet. There's no way you two could be protected for sure from-"

"We're going to live, Director," she cut him, earning a one-eyed glare. She did not look fazed by this at all and kept her head held high as she listened.

"I know. But as I was saying, we're going to use your fame as your shield this time to keep them away. And yes, you can fend for yourselves. But this girl cannot. As you've seen, she has a special ability that is sought after by notorious organizations all over the world. If not, the universe. As far as I know, that ability has never really been controlled completely. So, besides the protection you're going to give her from the _various_ threats that's gonna come her way, you'll also be able to fight off whatever… _accidents_ that'll occur."

After a few moments of silence, Steve asked, "So, you're saying she's a mutant?"

"Yes, she is."

"Then, why can't she go to the Xavier Academy? That school for mutants?" the super soldier blurted out again.

"You do notice that she's just been de-aged into an infant, right? She's gonna be more vulnerable than ever. That place had a lot of security issues lately." Fury answered in a tone that made his question seem stupid. But Steve was also unfazed. Fury pushed a manila folder that looked like its contents are going to spill across the desk in between them and continued, "You see, she's not just your normal, unwanted mutant. She's Professor Charles Xavier's niece. Daughter of Colonel James Xavier, Charles' cousin. Their mother sent her and her siblings were sent off to be cared for by different guardians to keep them hidden when their father was assassinated. The mother went hiding after that."

Steve took the folder and read the label, "A.C. XAVIER". He opened it to follow what Fury just said. True enough, her profile confirmed his story. Natasha peered over his shoulder, also to read.

"She was under the guardianship of the professor. By then, the Xavier Academy has not been established officially. For some reason, she was still kidnapped. But the professor and other mutant who were with him managed to get her back. But the poor parenting he had before the capture required him to face the courts before he could take her in again. He was successful with that and she grew up with him. Her siblings eventually followed her under his care."

Natasha read her profile closer. She read:

_Father: James Henry Xavier (deceased)_

_Mother: Lillian Williamson (deceased)_

_Siblings: Fredrick James Xavier (deceased), Susan Eleanor Xavier, Edmund Thomas Xavier (deceased)_

She paled upon reading the last name. But not enough to draw attention to herself. She stepped away to stop reading. She could not anymore.

"Fast forward, she graduated with a mechanical engineering degree specialized in aerospace and joined the U.S. Air-"

Natasha put herself back together to cut him off once more. "Alice Xavier."

Both men turned to look at her. She continued, "She's a Broadway star."

It was like Fury was hesitating to answer her. "Yes, she is. But that's not the point-"

"She was famous."

Fury sighed. "I would appreciate it if you stop interrupting me, Agent. _As I was saying_…"

Steve looked back and forth at their exchange, not having a single idea about the Broadway thing they were talking about despite having her file in front of him.

"… She joined the U.S. Air force shortly after. And eventually she was recruited by SHIELD. She became a chief engineer under Howard Stark in SHIELD in its early days. She overlooked the first ever Helicarrier and the planes in it. After just a couple of years, she quit."

Steve looked down on her file once more. He read what happened next:

_November 6, 1991: Partial damage of the Triskelion; Responsible for the halt of the spreading of the lava to the city from the erupting Mt. St. Helens (Washington)_

"Damage of the Triskelion?" he asked, looking up. Fury turned to the curious soldier.

"Yes," he answered. "It was later found out that her mind was controlled by Hydra. On the day of their apparent attack against SHIELD and Washington itself, she tried to fight off the control. She succeeded but she chose to stop the lava from getting to the city. Using her forcefields. Other mutants helped. But by the time the lava miraculously hardened, she was already nowhere to be seen. It's believed that she was covered with the ashes after she fell down due to exhaustion."

"And now she's found." The red-head side commented.

Fury nodded. "She did not show signs of mind control. SHIELD researchers found out it was too risky to tamper with the mind while trying to keep her alive. Whatever preservation they used, it somehow stopped her from aging as well. And apparently, it didn't involve ice." He looked at Steve by the time he said the last part.

After a few moments of contemplative silence, Steve chose to ask questions again. "If she was already famous before, then why hide her in fame again? Won't the media notice?"

"I do not think the media would fret about the resemblance. They'll only care about the fact that she's a kid of two of the Avengers." The older man replied.

Natasha decided to speak up, "So, you're going to make her come out as our biological child?"

"Exactly."

"I'm in."

Both Fury and Natasha quickly turned to Steve after his apparent consent in participating in the whole thing. It took Natasha by surprise more than she thought.

"Steve-"

"What's the plan?" he continued to ask, looking as determined as he was when he was fighting off aliens.

Fury was pleased by this. He only nodded to show that. He was about to speak up again when Natasha spoke up again.

"What if I say 'no'?" She had this stoic but intimidating look in her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest in defiance.

Fury stared at her just as hard. "This is an order, Agent."

That seemed to satiate her for a while. And the director continued, "Since you two have already disappeared for almost a year—well, since SHIELD was taken down—we could just easily make up a story of how you two married off and had a kid together. You're going to settle in Salt Lake City. And you stay there until SHIELD is back up. We don't want to risk anything here in Manhattan. Or risk running by the X-Men. Check-ups and her overall development will be done by Banner."

Steve and Natasha nodded. It did kind of make sense that they were settling in one of the most peaceful cities in the U.S.

"The paperwork is already being processed. Your residence, too. Now, we're not going to announce this marriage and birth thing to the world. But when word gets out, you simply have to answer that you're trying to live this simple family life in peace." Fury explained. Steve raised an eyebrow at this.

"But what about the Avengers? Isn't it too far from the HQ?"

"The Avengers," Fury answered quickly. "Will be around. The others will keep in touch of course."

"So, they're also informed about this?" She inquired.

"They _will be _informed," he answered firmly. There was that moment of silence again.

"How often are these check-ups going to be? Won't Bruce need to be around often for that?" she asked.

"We'll need to speak to Banner about that. He'll arrive tonight. We'll keep you notified." He paused and turned to look at them each closely. "You two leave the day after tomorrow. After her final check-up." Fury sighed and paused like he was thinking if he should tell them what he was thinking. And so he did, "And you wouldn't have to worry about the looks, I assure you."

And like some sense of familiarity of his action and tone, they both understood that they were going to be dismissed. And when the former director nodded his head, they both mirrored his action and turned to walk out the door. They were in for _long_ adventure. And this one is going to tie him to Natasha a lot longer.

* * *

**A/N: ****Hey, you! Thanks for giving this a chance. :D**

**So, this is a story that's been living in my head since last year. LOL. I've just been too lazy to actually write it. And now I've started. In the prologue, I used dialogues a lot. In the future, I hope to be able to elaborate more.**

**This one is going to intersect the Avengers and the X-Men. But the X-Men part is going to have only a little part in this story. Maybe in the sequel, they're going to be more prominent.**

**So, I do not own the Marvel universe, sadly. I do own A.C. Xavier, though. Haha.**

**I hope you tune in for the next chapter! :D**


	2. The Girl

**Chapter 1**

**THE GIRL**

_One week ago:_

"What the hell…"

Clint could not believe his eyes. He's seen gory murders, a half destroyed Manhattan, and aliens coming out of a portal that leads to another world, but he did not think a gigantic incubator with a small pale girl who looked just two centimeters away from anorexic inside would shake him. Her paleness was amplified by the white hospital gown she wore. Her absurdly long golden brown hair pooled above her head on the thing where she laid. He was afraid to touch her because he was just so sure she was going to break.

The room seemed so sterile despite the olive green walls and creepy dark ambience. The smell of various chemicals and the silent hum of the incubator thing just added to its creepiness. Clint shuddered, momentarily forgetting his agenda.

"_Barton, status,"_ the familiar voice of their leader ringing through the com in his ear. He snapped out of it and looked more closely at his surroundings.

He was just starting to open the main power source of the machine, just at its bottom left, when he answered, "The target's here, Cap. I know I'm supposed to pull the plug, but that's gonna fucki-"

"_Keep it clean, son."_

Clint scrunched up his face at the nickname. "The hell—anyway. She doesn't look like she's gonna hold up."

The silence that followed told Clint that the super soldier was having his bout of hesitation before Clint heard an explosion outside the sterile room. The captain must have heard it, too, because he said, albeit grimly, _"Just do it anyway. Let's find a way out of here fast. She just needs to _hold up_. We're getting close. You hold on."_

"Copy," he replied with finality before trying to find a switch. After finding nothing, he tried to yank at the wires and found that they were so hard; it just was not possible to be successful at that.

Another explosion. A little louder this time.

So, he took out his arrow and shot the power box. The lights in the incubator immediately flickered off and the locks holding her inside exploded to open the glass cover. He lifted the cover and examined the girl closer, only to find that she looked more vulnerable up close. So thin and so pale. They had to get out of there.

He pulled out the cables attached to her body and searched for a pulse and was relieved to find one. It was so even; it was just like she was sleeping. So, he gently picked her up and started running toward the exit away from the third explosion and sounds of a roaring monster robot. And as it got closer, with heavy footsteps and all, Clint was so sure he was not imagining that.

Then the wall on the other side exploded, throwing the both of them to the other side of the room. He looked everywhere for the girl he was holding just a while ago. When he found her laying on a rubble-free corner, her 10-foot long hair flying everywhere, he was just about to let out a sigh of relief when a big robotic arm grabbed him and threw him to the opposite side of the room where the girl was.

And when the bright spots went away from his sight, he quickly took note of how the _monster_ looked. It looked like a _freaking transformer_.

As if on cue, the familiar bullets that came from the Ironman suit came flying towards the _monster_ before it could succeed in getting to the unconscious girl.

A female voice startled him. "Clint, watch out!"

So, he looked up to see a chunk of the exploded wall flying towards him. He rolled away from it as fast as he can. And after that, he found himself still alive so he stood up and pointed his arrow at the upcoming goons. There were about 15 of them. So, Natasha did the same with her twin pistols.

"I'll take care of Big Cupcake here," Stark then flew high to shoot more at the monster. The monster roared and hundreds of guns sprung out from its body.

Steve threw his shield at one goon that pointed his rifle at Natasha. And not a second after the vibranium hit the goon; the rest of them pointed their rifles toward the Avengers. The four of them saw all of the bad guys fire, with the lights of the gunshots and all. But not a single bullet reached them.

There was an electrostatic-like moving transparent wall between the four of them and the goons. It took a second for them to realize what that was when one big soldier started to punch and kick at the wall. Then they heard the big transformer thing preparing to fire at them with all the hundred guns. And just as it fired, another wall appeared.

Clint looked behind the transformer to see the girl sitting up, with her hands in front of her… and her irises were white and only the pupils were showing, it made her eyes look almost completely white.

"Holy hell," he swore under his breath. He turned to Steve who was still trying to figure out another plan to fight or get out. "Cap! That's her." He pointed at the girl.

Steve turned to follow his sight to where Clint was pointing at. His mouth fell agape.

"They're about to run out of bullets," Natasha said, falling into a fighting stance.

And true enough, they did. One by one. The transformer stopped firing. It looked around as if to look for the source of the thing that is keeping its enemy unscathed. And when it looked at the girl, it immediately grabbed her by the shoulders using just one claw.

Right there, the transparent electrostatic wall disappeared. When Clint looked at her again, her eyes were still open with struggle as she nimbly tried to get away. Her eyes donned green irises now.

With the wall down, it was an all-out battle between the Avengers and goons now. Ironman was somehow pulled down, Natasha was fighting five men and two just recently jumped at him.

"Keep fighting! I'll get her," Steve ordered before he followed where the transformer ran off to, with the girl in its mechanical claw.

Heavy metal footsteps echoed through the windowless halls. Steve could vaguely hear the dame with the longest hair he had ever seen weakly _try_ to yell, "Let me go!"

The halls went zigzag, zigzag, and zigzag. If that was a normal, untrained person, he/she would have been dizzy by the sixth turn, running that fast. And then a metal door emerged. The transformer just smashed through it like the hulk. And when Steve got past the rubble, he saw the transformer crouch down a little before releasing intense air flow through its feet, making it fly. He was about to throw his shield at it when he realized it was flying towards the lip of a gigantic pool with its green wall in front of him. The wall was about 15 feet tall. There was just no way Steve could jump that high. With nothing for him to jump onto.

So, he threw his shield at the monster instead. It let out a gun out of its arm and fired at Steve before the shield went back to him. But then that transparent wall came up again, acting as a ceiling for him and the bullet deflected.

The monster roared before it threw her into the deep pool.

The shield was back to him again. And as the machine monster started to fly down, he threw it at him again, hitting a seemingly sensitive spot that made it convulse and malfunction right there. It fell down about five feet from him. When it short circuited, a piece of metal flew and hit the transparent pool wall, creating a small crack.

The girl was sinking deeper and she was struggling to swim up and breathe. Steve racked his brain for something to do to save her. Climb up and swim? Not fast enough. So, really. His shield was his best friend right now. So, threw that as hard as he could at the pool wall. But the wall just cracked. His heart rate got quicker when the liquid around the girl started to bubble up. Her hair was also starting to fall off.

He retrieved the shield again, put a little more distance, and threw at the same spot on the wall again. A bigger crack. Bubbles were covering her now.

"_Cap, the goons are out. I'm calling out for extraction. Stark and Natasha are comin' your way."_ He heard Clint again.

"Copy."

Just when he could not see the girl anymore, he did the same thing for the third time—throwing from the farthest side of the room this time—and the wall finally broke down, green liquid spilling out in waves. The pool wall was not green after all. The green came from the liquid itself.

With all his might, he smashed down a hole on the wall he was almost leaning on just in time when the liquid touched his shins. He hid behind the remaining part of that wall as the green liquid waves flow through the hole. He waited for it to spread down to a puddle of liquid and big shards of glass soaking his feet before he looked at the previous room he was in.

Puddle covered the ground—and the girl could not be seen anywhere. He worried about the shards of glass hurting her. But now he was worrying about her disappearing completely. But then a green-stained white bundle of cloth caught his eye. His super hearing caught the whimper of an infant.

Careful not to step on stray shards, he ran towards the cloth and peered down. True enough, there was an infant cradled by that soaking cloth. Her arms and shoulders had gashes and bruises around. She let out a giant cry that he normally heard from babies. So, immediately, he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. He cursed his spandex for not allowing him to rip of some of it to protect her from the dangers of the world as of the moment. He shushed her gently as he looked for the safest exit. But then Stark came flying through the destroyed metal door the transformer left. Then Natasha came running through as well.

"Well, congratulations, Captain _Un_virgin! You finally knocked someone off." Stark's usual snide commenting erupted again. But they really did not have time for that right now.

"Shut up, Stark. Clint's giving us directions out. Help's already there." Natasha said calmly before the three of them bolted out the underground labs, Tony's comments and the baby's wails continuing all the way.

When they got inside the jet, Steve was just awkwardly rocking her to lull her to sleep—finding a clean, dry cloth this time—when Natasha gently grabbed her from his arms.

"Give her to me," she muttered. Natasha held the bundle close to her chest and gently rocked her—correctly—and shushed her quiet. The baby's screams slowly quieted down to whimpers until she fell asleep. Probably from exhaustion from screaming all that time.

He did not know why. But through the exhaustion he felt, he felt his heart swell at the sight.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, obviously, this is a rushed chapter. But I hope—pray—that you understood it. Thanks for reading! :D**


	3. Looking A Little Closer

**Chapter 2**

**LOOKING A LITTLE CLOSER**

There was only one source of light in the simple, otherwise dull, bedroom. Although he was already in the Stark—Avengers Tower, he still did not give Tony the license to "cool-ify" his bedroom. God knows what the machine maniac might do. Clint once mentioned that he allowed Tony to do that when he decided to move in. Clint had to hold a scream when he saw posters of Legolas, Merida, Katniss Everdeen and other fictional archers' bodies with their faces replaced with Clint's face. And they were all over the walls. The archer said he spent two weeks 'fixing the mess'.

The bedside lamplight shone bright enough for someone to read while sitting up on the bed. Steve tried to get comfortable on his bed. From his side, he picked up the same manila folder he was holding onto for most parts of that day. He offered it to Natasha for her to read, but she declined, telling him he could go for it first. And because he was more curious than usual, he accepted, instead of insisting.

So, he opened it gently, careful not to let anything slip out. Laying on the right flap were dozens of papers that included her birth certificate, graduation certificate, SAT results that were oddly dated 1980, Broadway show contracts, other music…whatever—information (_whoa…is that a Disney contract I see?_), medical information. None of those things he actually tried to understand. So, he just turned to the most important file. Her SHIELD profile. The first thing that caught his eye was the logo at the upper right of the page which said:

**SHIELD HELICARRIER**

**Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistic Division**

He then examined the passport-sized picture of that girl in the upper right corner of the page. Only her face and half of her upper body could be seen. SHIELD identification pictures required the workers not to wear any make up. So, he saw her real face then.

Unlike the first time he saw her face, her cheeks were actually full, not hollow with the cheekbones so unpleasantly prominent. She had little to no bags under her eyes; her lips were not dry and were a healthy shade of pink. She had slightly wavy shoulder-length brown hair which was oddly darker than how he remembered it. Despite the lack of a smile on her face, her green eyes shone with life and emotion that geared towards happiness. Unlike most of the faces of female SHIELD agents, her beauty was not the natural sultry type—one that would contort easily to a picture of seduction. One that Natasha exemplified. Hers was simple; almost baby-face-like.

He then turned to her personal profile. The formatting of the document was the same as Howard's and Peggy's. The thick paper was also beginning to have brown edges around it.

He could say he was a little shocked to see that she was not a young teenager that he thought her to be when he first glanced at her. It turned out she was a full-grown woman who was nearing the age of thirty.

_Date of birth: June 17, 1965_

And he read a little closer:

_Status: INACTIVE_

_SSN: 988-487-4562_

_Name: XAVIER, ALICE CHARLOTTE "Ally" W._

_Last Known Address:__1407 Graymalkin Lane, Westchester County, NY 10461_

_Previous Address:__3198__Ayshire, Scotland, United Kingdom_

_Document Citizenship: United Kingdom; United States_

_Birthplace: Ayshire, Scotland, United Kingdom_

_[Final] Title: Chief Engineer_

_[Previous] Title(s): Intern (Howard Stark, David Scott), Aviation Engineer_

_Race: Caucasian_

_Gender: Female_

_Dental: Q 418725_

_Height: 5-2_

_Weight: 101_

_Hair: Brown_

_Eyes: Green_

_Language(s): English, Russian_

_Marking(s): Small, dark birthmark on the right palm; 4-in scar along the back of left lower thigh_

_Living Family:__Fredrick James Xavier__(brother),__Edmund Thomas Xavier__(brother), Susan Eleanor Xavier-Spencer (sister), Charles Francis Xavier (uncle), Juliana Marie Spencer (niece)_

_Education: Homeschooling; NY School of Music; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering specialized in Aerospace (undergraduate) [DISCONTINUED; TRANSFERRED]; Cambridge University, Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering (undergraduate)_

_Known living descendant: Juliana Spencer_

_CRIMINAL:__ [__None] [SERVICE FOR HYDRA]__None_

_Employment: Full-time S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent/Personnel_

_Military: Air Force Pilot, Aviation Engineer_

_Mission Strengths: Excellent skills in aviation and engineering; Rare inborn mutation_

And at the bottom of the page, an untidy note was written as if it was rushed.

_MUTATION: Psionic Force Fields; Shock Waves_

The note was not new information for Steve. He had already seen the least she could do. What was ironic about him reading the profile was that the last thing he noticed was the biggest words stamped in red, covering some of the typewritten letters. It read:

**_[DECEASED]_**

He frowned, and turned the page anyway to see the next one. It was about the details of her death.

_Date of Death: August 4, 1993_

_[Possible] cause of death: Live burial; Burns_

_Place of death: Mt. St. Helens Volcano—Washington_

_Place of burial: none_

The vague information of her death answered his curiosity as to why SHIELD tracked her quickly enough before any trouble ensued. They were already monitoring her presence and were constantly tracking her after all.

The next pages were already medical information that he could not comprehend completely. So he dug around the folder a little bit more and found a couple of pictures in the pocket of the left flap.

The first one showed her in a pilot's gear, with her goggles on and all. She was sitting on the driver's seat of an army plane. It did not seem like it was running but it was situated in the middle of the runway. She was not looking at the camera and she was looking intently in front.

He put that picture at the bottom of the pile and looked at the second one. It was a closer view of her now. Steve's breath hitched. She was standing in between Howard Stark and another man, Steve presumed to be David Scott. Howard looked much older than how Steve remembered him. He wore a smile that shone with pride. 'Ally' (as what her profile said her nickname was) had a bright smile on her face that almost looked like she was laughing at the comical face Scott donned. The man looked to be middle-aged, European and balding. Behind them were dozens of parked jet planes. They were probably on the helicarrier. Steve could not help but notice how small she really was.

The third—and last—one was another group picture. There stood five people, their names state in order in the caption below:

"_(left to right) Agent Harrison Carter, Agent Gabriel Jones, Capt. Nicholas Fury, Engr.__ (__Ally) ALICE Xavier, Agent Norman Peters; DEPARTMENT HEADS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. [FLAGSHIP] HELICARRIER "Odyssey" (January 21, 1992)"_

They were all smiling proudly at the camera. Even Fury. The younger Nick Fury had his trademark eye patch and trench coat on and he was crossing his arms across his chest. Agent Gabriel Jones was another African-American man who was probably over middle age. He and the other agents wore suits similar to Phil Coulson's. Norman Peters looked very young; he looked like a teenager. He had gigantic eyeglasses on and tousled hair. If he had braces on, he would look like the epitome of a school nerd. Harrison, who Steve remembered to be Peggy's brother—as she mentioned in one of their conversations during the war—looked old; having a wrinkled face and gray hair.

Steve chuckled at the scratched name. The one who wrote the caption probably forgot 'Ally' was a nickname. He remembered his pictures of him with his squad during the war also had these captions with scratched nicknames, replaced by their first names. Those nicknames were just silly names they came up for each other. A soldier named 'Kevin' became 'Jumping Man'. This team in the picture he was holding must have been quite close, too.

He shook his head off the fond memory and returned to examining the girl. Unlike the agents who had formal attires on, she was just wearing black slacks, brown—not to mention flat—shoes, and a scarlet turtleneck sweater with the SHIELD logo over the left breast. Her nearly-straight wavy hair was in a half-up do.

He sighed before carefully placing the pictures back into the same part of the folder he got them. He closed the folder and put it on his bedside table.

He did not know what to expect in the mission. He definitely did not have parenting experience—save for making sure Tony and Clint did not die from their antics, or making sure that nobody died by getting hit by a toaster that Thor threw because his pop tarts got burned. So, God must thoroughly guide him in raising a mutant child whose attitude he could not predict. Not that he was any good at predicting people though. Natasha was the one good at that. He will definitely leave that to her.

So, he flipped the lamp switch off and got under the covers. He closed his eyes in hopes of getting some sleep.

But alas, after what felt like hours, he did not get the slumber he wanted. He only opened his eyelids when he heard his phone vibrate. So, he felt the top of the other bedside table to look for his phone. Once he already had it in his hand, he unlocked it only to see Natasha's name appear. He opened the message.

Natasha: **_Awake_****?**

He typed in a quick reply: **_Yes._**

He glanced at the time only to see it was already past midnight. He sighed before sitting up and typing in another message.__**_Can I drop by?_**

Natasha: **_I don't know. Can you?_**

He rolled his eyes to himself at her antics. She was being a 'grammar Nazi', as Clint described it when she did that. He replied, **_MAY I drop by?_**

Natasha: **_Sure._**

She must have chuckled at that, he thought fondly. He threw the covers up before looking for his slippers, not bothering to turn on the lights first. He picked up the folder and walked briskly to the elevator.

**A/N: Hey! Thanks for reading! More Romanogers in the next chapter. Hihi. This is probably the first time I mention that I ship them.**

**Steve and Natasha are made for each other in my heart. 3**


	4. Late Night Jitters

**Chapter 3**

**LATE NIGHT JITTERS**

Steve raised his hand to knock. But before his knuckles could touch the door, it already slid open with a hiss to reveal barefooted Natasha. Her bright red hair was up in a messy ponytail and the short strands that escaped framed her pale, flawless face. She was wearing a loose, white tank top and black cotton shorts. She had no make-up on which made her look younger and—surprisingly—older at the same time. But still equally as beautiful.

He shook the thought off his head and meekly waved at her. "Hi," he greeted.

She did not smile, like most romance novels would do it. Instead, she just went back to where she was situated before he arrived, which was by the kitchen island. A tablet was propped up on the counter, not exactly in front of her—a little to her left—but diagonally situated enough for her reach and read comfortably. By her right, two mugs sat with steam coming out.

"I made tea," was the first thing she said, pointing to one of the mugs. "Hope you like green."

Steve followed her, not bothering to mind the door because he knew it was automatically just going to slide close anyway. He sat on the stool next to hers, right in front of the mugs.

"Thanks," he said, taking one of the mugs and sipping the tea.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked, reaching for the other mug and taking a sip of her own.

"No," he replied. He was about to ask her the same question when he suddenly remembering about the folder he was holding. "Oh, and I thought you ought to read this." He held out the folder to her. "It's quite… interesting."

Natasha stared at the thing held out to her for a while before chuckling. "Don't worry, Cap. I've already read that." She sipped her green tea again, that amused expression staying on her face.

Steve scrunched his face in confusion, "But h-"

"You see, there's this thing called softcopies, where you can just view those files in your computers and, for my case, a tablet. So, there's really no fuss for papers that could easily just be burned off." She said patiently, understanding that he still had to catch up with the 21st century technology. Well, she had always been one of the most patient and easy with him, the other one being Coulson.

She could see his slight dismay as he put the folder on the counter. "Oh," he said, starting to smile sheepishly. Natasha could not help but smile inwardly.

"But thanks, anyway, Cap." She chuckled again. After moments of just comfortable silence passed, she set her mug back down on the counter and turned to him.

But he beat her in the talking part. "The girl sounds like something, huh?"

"Yeah, I have a feeling that we're going to be raising a Tony Stark."

He laughed at that. "And just a while ago, I was praying that wouldn't happen."

"Well, I'm already anticipating some weird little machines made of forks in a couple of years."

They silently laughed for a while after that, and eventually fell into another moment of comfortable silence. They somehow had that companionship that was just keeping them at ease with each other's company. They always have. Even before the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. They just stayed in the same area, more comfortable at being silent—but still acknowledging each other—than actually talking. Well, it was mostly Steve's fault. He was the awkward one. But Natasha was fine with that. As long as he did not try anything fishy on her, she considered him harmless. Especially since Steve was obviously a lost saint. They only said something to each other when he was having trouble with technology or if it involved business matters. Eventually, the date recommendations—courtesy of Natasha—came afterward. After the Hydra incident, they started talking to each other more, after Natasha returned in sight again. That friendship thing must have been real after all.

"So," he started again. His eyes bore into hers with seriousness that urged her to hold his gaze. "You ready to be a mom?"

She just stared at him, not really displaying any emotion. But after a while, she chuckled, "Does it matter? It's not really about being or ready or not anyway. I still need to be one either way."

"This isn't about what you _need_ to do. I'm just asking you about how you feel about it." He kept his gaze, directly into her eyes. Suddenly, she sensed that it must have taken her so long to answer. So, she looked away. She was not sure why, but she lied less often to him. And she knew that any other answer would have been a lie anyway. Because could not think of an answer as of the moment.

"You're not really sure about this, huh?" he asked quietly, and sighed. "Well, that makes two of us."

She looked up at him again, a little taken aback. "Really? I thought you wanted the happy-little-family-with-the-white-picket-fence thing?"

He seemed to be thinking hard for an answer. "I thought you wanted to be a father," she added.

He shrugged lightly, and sighed—again. Natasha noticed he had a habit of sighing a lot. Not that it was a bad thing, though. "I do," he answered. "It's something that I never thought I'd ever be. But, yes, I do want a kid."

"There you go. You're going to be a little girl's knight-in-shining-armor. What's the problem?"

When he did not answer quickly enough, a smirk formed on her face. "You're afraid you'll never ever get a date?"

"Hey now-"

"Well, I tried getting you some but it's kinda your fault for turning all of them down. You promised me that you'd call Sharon!"

"I did-"

"Well?"

"It didn't work out," he answered with finality. She raised an eyebrow at that, though. "Look, she's a nice girl. But it's just weird dating someone who's looked up to you her whole life, you know?"

"I've known about you my whole life."

"You're different, Nat."

"How am I different?"

He paused after that. Then, it was like she already understood why. Natasha knew her fellow agent was his first love's niece. Peggy probably told stories about the Great Captain America.

"The point is," he started, returning to their previous topic. "I'm just afraid that protecting isn't enough. I mean, 'saving' and actually being a dad aren't exactly the same. I'm just worried that I'll just repeat her…experiences as child then."

"Steve, she probably won't even remember her past life." It was one of those rare times she called him by his name. And at the back of his head, he treasured those times.

"It doesn't mean I want to make her repeat it."

They had another pause.

"Well, if it's any consolation," she said, trying to lighten up the conversation. It is getting too deep for her liking. "It's just going to be half your fault if ever she really does become a Tony."

And there, he chuckled. "Think we could do this?"

She put on that smirk again that she used when she teased him. "Sure," she said. "I'm more worried about you being a husband than being a father, _Honey._"

He rolled his eyes with a grin that was contrary to what he was about to say. "Well, that hurts, Romanoff."

"No, it's more like "Rogers" now," she retorted with a chuckle. "I'm going to officially be Mrs. Natasha Rogers in a few hours, remember?"

Steve was quite surprised to find himself very pleased at hearing that. But he would have to keep that thought to himself for a while.

"I mean, my husband couldn't even kiss me even if I asked him to!"

And after a few minutes of friendly bickering, they finally stood up and called it a night. It was already nearing two AM and they had to report early that day.

Natasha walked him to the door, and smiled that signature Cheshire smile at him before pushing the button to open the door.

"Well, have a good night's sleep, _Sweetie_."

**A/N: I really aimed for this chapter to be some Avengers meeting but I kinda got carried away with the Romanogers part sooo there it is. :D**

**Next up [SNEAK PEAK]:**

"**You are the love of my life," he told her, sounding like a little lovesick fool.**


	5. Another Meeting

**A/N: Okay, I'm really embarrassed right now. **

**I just read the last chapter a little while ago and I noticed all the grammatical errors and the inexcusable misspellings that I've committed. I mean, I even misspelled the word "peek" as "peak". #Shame *slashes wrist* And I'm too lazy to delete the chapter and replace it with a refined one so… what the hell.**

**Just kidding. Anyway. I'm really enjoying coming home to write this thing before I go to sleep. But I'm gonna **_**try**_** to read and edit the things I write from now on. Hope you like it! :D**

**Chapter 4**

**ANOTHER MEETING**

The Avengers—minus Thor and Bruce—reported early in the "Avengers Meeting Room", as Tony called it, in the makeshift S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters—which was just a floor of the Avengers Tower in Manhattan as of the moment—the next day. The room was a large, square box. The walls were white, lined with expensive marble. One wall of the room consisted of glass that overlooked the city. From the outside, the glass would give the illusion that nobody was inside. In the middle of the room, there was a long glass dinner table that was actually a gigantic tablet with sprouting holograms. On one corner, on the left of the double-door entrance, there was a mini bar with robot arms sticking out. Obviously, it was JARVIS. There was also a couch that faced the gigantic window. On the right corner was a couple of couches that faced each other. The rest of the room was still bare.

And all Natasha could hear was Clint's half story-telling and half-ranting about their boss. Or ex-boss. Whoever he was now. They were sitting alone on one of the couches in the right corner, while Steve and Tony were crowding in the mini bar on the other side of the room. Anybody who sees them might automatically think that they were having an early doze of booze. But in reality, they were just hogging the coffee that JARVIS brewed for everyone.

"You know what he was planning before? He wanted me, Bruce and Stark take care of the kid. And I was like, 'what's that gonna be? A remake of Three Men and a Baby?' I don't even know who the kid was!" he ranted, half yelling. Natasha did not show it, but she was amused.

"Bruce, Stark and I."

"-What?" he paused, the momentum of his story a little disrupted.

"It's Bruce, Stark and I," she teased.

He rolled his eyes at her, "Whatever," and then continued on. Natasha chuckled.

On the other side of the room, the coffee pigs also had a conversation of their own. Steve found himself constantly sighing and rolling his eyes at what Tony had to say. At absolutely anything. But he did not really have a choice at the moment, so he just went along with it. As of the moment, he billionaire was talking about getting laid. As usual.

"You know, Cap," Tony said, leaning onto the counter a bit, as if it was the most serious topic ever, "it's not that hard. You meet her, talk to her, drink with her, dance with her and then hump her. Easy as pie. In the morning, you can do whatever you want. And if you really want her, wait for three days before you invite her for another round. Or another date."

Steve raised an eyebrow and fought the urge to bury his own face in his hand. "Well, I kinda slip on the second part. And the rest gets the domino effect."

"Psh," Tony slapped the air, "Heck, that's the easy part! And the most important. See, your talkin' could get her hots level for you from here," he held up a flat palm that leveled the middle of his neck. "To here," then he raised it above his head.

Steve shook his head.

"You know what you could tell her?" the playboy snorted, "a million things! From '_Your hair looks pretty,'_ to '_I just_ _wanna marry you tonight.'_"

"Whatever, Stark. That's just plain lying." And when Steve thought they were changing the topic. Tony continued.

"You want another source for that magic?" he asked before he stood up and faced where Clint and Natasha were sitting. "Hey, Katniss!"

The archer yelled back, "Fucker! What is it?"

Tony started walking towards them, and motioned Steve to follow. Sighing, the super soldier did so.

"Tell our good captain here what melts women around your groin," Tony commanded, causing Natasha to raise her eyebrow, starting to look dangerous. Clint just smirked.

Making sure they did not ignore her warning, she deliberately cleared her throat. Steve was the only one who threw an apologetic glance at her.

"Clint, I don't think-" Steve nervously started to warn, but was cut off by Clint's enthusiastic voice. Too enthusiastic, perhaps.

"Well! There's a lot," Clint smiled, looking like a guy in toothpaste advertisements and sounding like an exaggerating lovesick fool, "_You are a goddess,_"

"_Hey girl, you make my heart lag"_ Tony added.

Then Clint followed, "_I'm not drunk, I'm just intoxicated by you."_

"_Is there an airport nearby, or is it just my heart taking off?_

"_Are you an alien? Because you abducted my heart."_

And just before Tony opened his mouth to add another pick up line, somebody interrupted his thought.

"_You're a shitface._"

Everybody—except Clint who still looked far deep in his thoughts—turned to the source of the deadpan voice to find Natasha crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.

"Don't ruin the moment here, Red. Capsicle's having his final lecture before getting out there. You know what I'm saying?" Tony whined.

Steve decided it was a good time to intervene, "And Tony, it's not like I could ever go out there anyway. I mean-" And he was interrupted yet again. So, this was why Fury got frustrated with not letting him finish what he was saying.

"_You are the love of my life!_" Clint suddenly yelled, having a wild happy look on his face.

Natasha rolled her eyes, "Oh, idiots." Steve just chuckled and turned around to drink coffee once more. Tony followed suit, babbling about sex that would have made Steve blush if only the person who was telling him those things was not obnoxious—Tony.

Almost a half hour later, Steve and Tony already finished off the last of the coffee and the two spies were still talking animatedly about something that kept Clint ranting. Suddenly, the double doors hissed open to reveal a grumpy looking Nick Fury (when has he never looked like that?). He strode inside with his hands clasped behind his back.

"You can stop with the ranting now, Barton. Get your ass in here," he ordered, walking towards the farthest end of the long table.

Clint's eyes widened and he quickly stood up to comply. "Yes, sir." He said, immediately shutting up with his head slightly lowered. Natasha smirked slightly as she followed suit.

The five of them were now huddled by the table. Natasha and Clint on Fury's right, and Steve and Tony on his left. They all stood there, wearing serious faces.

"Unfortunately," the former director started, "Banner arrived very late from India last night and was only able to run a couple of check-ups. He resumed early this morning but is nowhere near done. He asked that he be given more time. Maybe a week or so."

Natasha was actually quite relieved.

"In the meantime, you two," he looked at Steve and then Natasha, "will have to start practicing on your parenting."

Now, Natasha suddenly felt nervous. She was a little jealous of how Steve looked so determined. When she heard Tony snort, appearing to let out a side-comment, she shot him a glare. Fearing for his life, he immediately shut up.

"Banner will swing by this afternoon, if he's quick enough. But if he has to take his time, he might extend until tonight. In the meantime, just hold on. And learn how to take care of a kid." It was a sign for them that they were being dismissed. But Tony raised his hand.

"Excuse me," His politeness was more shocking than the question itself, honestly speaking. "Why is it that you're making two of our greatest assets take care of a kid with no name? What is she to us? I mean, she could be a robot for all we know."

"Which is precisely why we need Rogers and Romanov monitor her; watch her closely and at the same time give her protection from whatever it is that might hurt her. And judging from her-" Fury suddenly paused, rethinking his choice of words, "—your statements about her mutation, she could be an asset to us. A big one."

"A baby Avenger," Clint side-commented, smirking.

"Yes, I understand. But don't you think it's gonna take a long time for her to _be_ that asset? It's gonna take more or less 18 years before she could be of use to us." Tony defended again.

"You ever thought it's not all about us using her?" Steve voiced Fury's thought exactly.

"Someone's getting soft," Tony smirked at the captain. Natasha narrowed her eyes at him one more time. "Look, I'm not against keeping the kid. But S.H.I.E.L.D.'s still standing back up and here we are, trying to imitate a mutants' orphanage."

"It's just one kid, Stark," Clint interjected, clearly getting a little frustrated.

Fury has had enough of it, so he commanded, "All right. That's enough. No more questions asked. This is a mission, Agents. And I order you to carry it out. Barton, Stark, you two are dismissed."

"What?!" Tony complained, throwing his hands up. "So, you shut me out of the super-secret stuff now? I just asked a question!"

Nick sighed, and wished he had some sort of telepathy to tell the others to drag him out of the room. He thanked the stars that Clint seemed to hear his thoughts. The archer grabbed the billionaire's arms and dragged him out of the room—with more effort than he thought.

"_This is my tower!_" was the last thing they heard from him before the door was shut. Steve sighed in relief.

Fury straightened his posture once more before saying, "Alright. Clearly, those two still don't know the kid's history."

"And the rest?" Natasha asked, her disposition never changing.

"They don't either," was Nick's reply. "Coulson, you two and I are the only ones who know all about her."

"Why the secrecy?" Steve was the one to ask this time, curiosity evident on his face.

"I do not want any leaks. The more people who know about this, the more chances of more other people to know. Especially since we can't possibly keep her from interacting with the world. The last thing we want is for our enemies to find her."

"And what about Banner?" Natasha asked.

"He only knows the medical history. I instructed him to keep it confidential. Especially from Stark," was Nick's firm answer. Steve was slightly unnerved by all the secrecies running in the system of S.H.I.E.L.D.

And there was a pause. And the former director spoke again, "Even the Xaviers don't know. So, if it isn't clear enough, the details of this mission is and will remain top secret. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir." The youngest people in the room replied.

Nick looked at them each for a while, as if examining them for one last time. "Wait for what Banner has to say. Now, you can get out of my sight."

They turned to leave, but their boss spoke again. "And Agents," he said, making them both turn back to face him. They were surprised to see him give the faintest and biggest smile they have ever seen on his face.

"Good luck," he said, switching between the two of them to look at them straight in the eyes. And so, Steve nodded at him before turning again to leave. Natasha lingered to look at Fury one final time. It was not because of hesitation. It was suspicion. _'Who is this girl really?'_ she thought.

And so nighttime came. It was 6:30 in the evening, and Bruce has yet to let out a breath to let them know that he was alive. Natasha was staying in Steve's floor, just sitting down on the couch in the living room and reading a book. Steve, meanwhile, was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Whatever he was cooking filled the whole floor with sounds of frying, and a delightful smell of chicken with butter.

Natasha's stomach grumbled, so she put her book down slightly to call out, "Is it done yet?"

"Patience!" Steve playfully yelled using his commanding captain voice. He went back to his task at hand, feeling a little peaceful. Natasha also went back to reading her book. A few minutes later, it _finally done_. Natasha found out that he was just frying some chicken and sautéed some veggies. They ate while talking animatedly, just as they usually did on random normal nights.

Only a few weeks after reappearing in the world after the Washington incident, Natasha knocked on his door (or rather rung his doorbell) one night.

_Ring!_

"_Captain Rogers, I would just like to inform you that Miss Romanoff is outside your door,_"_ the British accent of the A.I. butler rang in the whole floor. Steve was surprised, of course. He wondered what the assassin wanted with him. _

"_Yes, thank you, JARVIS," he said. He stood up from the couch he was sitting on and made his way to the sliding door. He pressed the button beside it and it immediately hissed open to reveal a smirking Natasha. She was wearing jeans and a tank top, with her hair in a ponytail and her face painted with makeup she probably had on since that morning. He sent an unsure smile her way._

"_Hi, Steve," she greeted him, her smirk never faltering._

"_Hi, Nat," he greeted back. "What're you doing here?"_

"_I'm starving. Have any food?" she asked, shimmying her way past him and into his apartment, not bothering to ask for his permission. She examined the room she was in._

_Despite the slight shock, he chuckled. "Can't you get your own food?"_

"_Too lazy. Figured you'd be a gentleman and feed me."_

_He chuckled again and then pushed the button again to close the door. He turned around to see her twist to face him. "A girl has got to eat," she was smiling the Cheshire smile again. And she was making her way to his kitchen._

_He figured if this was going to happen a lot, his nights would not be as boring as he thought them to be._

_It was a good thing it did happen a lot of times._

Suddenly, JARVIS's voice interrupted them while they were putting the plates into the dishwasher. "Captain Rogers, Agent Romanoff, I would just like to inform you that Dr. Banner is making his way here."

**A/N: Heeey. That sneak peek is going to last for a little longer. Hihi. You're gonna have to catch it next chapter! Tune in!**

**And I would really appreciate it if you review. Thanks! Mwah! :D**


	6. Meet Mommy and Daddy

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys. School is starting to get in the way now. Sooo huhuhu. Anyway. As much as I like having my chapters long, I also want to post more often. So, here it is. Next chapter is finally going to be the meet the avengers part. :)**

**Enjoy! :D**

**CHAPTER 5**

**MOMMY AND DADDY**

Natasha stiffened. It was not like it was going to be a dangerous encounter with the Hulk. It was just Bruce. With a baby. Apparently, their baby. Her baby. It was bothering her, yes. And she was not going to deny that any further. It was just so unnerving that she is so nervous about a child when Steve looked very eager to meet her.

She cannot deny that she does not think herself a natural mother. She is a killer. Not a nurturer. It is just the opposite of what she was really made for. So, what was the point of giving her this mission? Maybe the initial Three Men and a Baby idea wasn't so bad after all…

She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts. If she was supposed to do this, she was going to do it decently. She never failed in a mission. And she was not going to start now. She stood next to Steve facing the door, as if waiting for it to burst open.

"Captain Rogers, Agent Romanoff, Dr. Banner says he is already outside," the posh AI voice informed them. Steve moved forward to push the door button open.

"Thank you, JARVIS," he said.

And as the door slid open, the two agents unknowingly held their breaths as Bruce appeared outside the doorway. Using his right hand, he was pushing a baby cart in front of him. With his other hand, he was carrying an envelope that looked thick with its contents.

"Hey, Cap," he greeted and then turned to the red head, "Hey, Nat. Welcome back."

Natasha nodded in response. "Hey, doc."

"Hi, Bruce. Come in," the super soldier said politely as he stepped aside to let Bruce and everything he was carrying in. As he passed through the door, Natasha pushed the door button close. She couldn't help but notice the sleeping child inside the white roller chair Bruce was pushing.

"I believe some congratulations are in the way. Heard you two are new parents," the doctor said cheerfully and sarcastically—albeit keeping his kind attitude.

Steve smiled. Natasha maintained her stoic expression.

"Thanks. We're glowing parents. As you can see," Natasha remarked sarcastically. Bruce just uttered a chuckle.

"Well, your baby is fine. From my set of tests, I found out that she's just 5 months old, not 7. She' just started teething, so, good luck."

Bruce took a deep breath as he paused. Then he opened the envelope and got a single paper out. He then read for a moment and then continued, "babies already respond to certain stimuli by this time. Like her parents' voice. In her case, she seems to respond to the color red. I'm guessing that her mother—or whomever it was who took care of her—liked wearing red or had red hair. Which is fortunate for you, Nat."

Steve glanced at her like he was amused. She just shrugged. "What else have you got?" she asked.

"Speaking of hair, as you can remember, her hair was a little towards brown. Well, right now, her hair became lighter, which is caused by the loss of some melanin in her system. Which was also caused by the de-aging liquid. It was left unwashed from her skin for a little too long. But that didn't quite affect a lot more in her health. It's just that she can only remember what she knew by this age," he pointed the sleeping baby.

There was a moment of silence before Steve pointed her, too, and asked, "May I?"

Bruce turned to him and nodded, "Go ahead."

Steve approached the baby cart and paused, as if trying to figure out a course of action. He then crouched down and put his hands under her body. And very carefully, he picked her up and nestled her very, very gently in his big arms. The girl just stirred in her sleep. Natasha inwardly chuckled at the sight of her partner's slightly awkward hold of the child. The small hat she was wearing slipped off a little upon the movement, revealing a tuft of wavy blonde hair… which coincidentally resembles Steve's.

Bruce peered down upon the bundle as if checking her to see if she was all right. "She's a light sleeper, by the way. And if you could notice, she's small. She's not malnourished. But she's bordering that. We don't have an explanation about that. So, our hypothesis is just because she was evidently malnourished right before de-aging. Well, from what Clint told us."

Natasha quietly took some steps toward Steve. She gently fished down the pink blanket the child was wrapped in to get her small hand out. She the inspected it to find that it was a little too small for her age indeed. She could not help but feel a little worry for the girl.

Bruce seemed to hesitate for a while before he cleared his throat. "Also, she doesn't have a very good immune system." he paused again. "But there is a way to fix that now."

Steve peeled his eyes off the baby for the first time since he held her, and turned to the doctor. "What is it?"

Bruce turned to Natasha. "Uhm. Nat," it was clear that Was hesitating. "if you want-if you only want-"

Natasha turned to look at him this time. "What is it, doc?"

"You see, breast milk is the best food for any baby. Especially for her."

Oh, boy.

Steve and Natasha both stared incredulously at him.

Now she was going to breastfeed?

"Natasha, if you are going to agree, we can get you to be able to breastfeed her. If you only agree, of course."

Who was the child for her to do such a thing for? Her thoughts rambled in her head. But then, _who was she to deny a helpless child of something she needed_?

And then she heard a distant voice in her head.

_Make up for the red ledger._

"Nat?" Steve urged her quietly. She did not even notice him turning to glance at her. She pinched herself in her mind. She is starting to lose her touch. She snapped out it. "I can do it. How are we going to do it?"

Secretly, Steve and Bruce were relieved. And Natasha knew that.

Bruce clapped his hands as he let out a relieved sigh. "We're going to inject a serum," at this, Natasha cringed. Something that did not go unnoticed by Steve. "This is just a mammary hormone serum. To get you to be able to produce milk and feed her for approximately two years. We can inject it tonight, before you sleep. And I can guarantee you that it is very safe. For both of you." he was referring to her and the little girl. Natasha just nodded.

By then, Steve was only half-listening to the things Bruce said to his partner. He was too engrossed in the child he was holding. She had quietly awakened, revealing her dark green eyes, her lashes fluttering as the light disturbed her baby dreams. Steve's heart stopped beating as she stared up at him, opening her eyes wide. And it practically melted when she raised her hand and tried to reach towards his face. He wanted to hold her closer so bad. But he was afraid that he was going to crush her. So, he carried her with one arm, and he held his index finger in front of her. She clumsily tapped it first with her hand, as if examining it first, before she held the tip of his finger slowly. Steve's heart melted right then and there.

He did not even notice that the doctor and the assassin already stopped their conversation and were already looking at his interaction with the baby.

Natasha already knew that the child was going to wrap Steve around her tiny little finger sooner or later. With Steve's penchant for idealism and family, he was surely able to care for the child with all his heart could give.


	7. MEET THE UNCLES AND AUNTS

**A/N: LOL. I've been attempting to write this chapter for, like, weeks. Haha. And I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a looong while. Anyway. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)**

**Chapter 6**

**MEET THE UNCLES AND AUNTS**

Natasha just stood there, watching her supposed new _family. _It was almost surreal. Watching a man—much more because it was _Steve_—basking in his newfound fatherhood. She almost felt awkward at being in the scene since she could not even make herself pretend that she could be a good mother.

But the situation is there. And she could not run now. Not when a _special _girl with the same green eyes Natasha bore needed a mother more than ever. She did not know what it was, but the angel trying to clean her ledger was pushing her towards motherhood. And she was letting it happen anyway.

"Nat, look."

Natasha snapped out of her thoughts when Steve called her. He did not break his gaze at the child, so she turned to look at her instead.

"She's smiling," Steve said, a smile growing on his face. He turned towards her direction so that she could have a better view of the baby's face.

True enough, the tiny babe was toothlessly grinning at Steve while gripping his finger as hard as she can. She was so small and light; Steve could only barely feel her grip. But he kept his hand there anyway. And Natasha could not help but caress top of her head. A smile could also not be kept from creeping onto her face as the baby turned to her and made that little baby noise that suspiciously sounded like a giggle.

Bruce was silent as he watched his teammates get lost in the perfect family scene they exhibited at the moment. With Steve holding the child a little upright facing Natasha while Natasha was on his side, running her fingers on her head. Steve playfully bounced her in his arms, causing her to giggle again. Bruce knew his the two of them were very good at handling any situation at hand. But he never thought they would get an assignment that was a little _too far _off of what they have experience. He had seen them go to the different corners of the world; Bruce himself had fought aliens with them. But _this_ was going to be an interesting mission to witness.

Realizing he was just fondly watching them for a while, he decided to get that envelope he held on his way there and reread some more of his findings before he accidentally (and awkwardly) ruins their moment.

Natasha had never been so entranced with a child before. Or rather, she tried not to be around children that much. Most of her childhood and her teenage years were surrounded by men, violence and the constant need to get the job done. So, she was not trained to handle them. She does admit that she remembered herself hoping to become a mother someday. Maybe it was before the Red Room? Probably. She remembered them explicitly telling her that the first serum they injected her with was going to make her infertile. It shattered her heart. And that was the first step towards how they made her heart as hard as it was now.

"_We do not need children here,"_ _they said, as if_ _she was not a child herself. "The last thing we need are mothers, bringing them here."_

_Natalia was hurting. Both physically and emotionally. She was tired, sore and all the needles they used on her were taking their toll on those parts of her skin they repeatedly pricked or poked her on. But she was not allowed to scream or make a sound at all. Or else._

_She wanted her mama and papa. Where were they now? They could not have burned with the house, could they? She was their little darling. Their little ballerina. They said they would always be there for her. Always. Even if she had her own little darlings and ballerinas of her own._

_But now, the mean men said she is not able to become a mama forever. She could not ever make darlings and ballerinas of her own._

_She was not a child. She was a soldier. She was going to save Mother Russia._

Natasha ended her flashback as she gazed at the young pair of eyes staring back at her. They were so curious, and happy—unlike her own. Her own green eyes were stoic in default, unlike the girl's that was a clear window of how she felt at the moment. They had the exact same green eyes. And yet they were so, so different.

"You wanna hold her?" Steve asked her quietly, now turning his head to look at her. Natasha looked at him for a moment, as if contemplating if she should or not, before gesturing him to hand her over to her.

But before she could even touch the child, the door burst open to reveal an excited Pepper, an amused Clint and a worried Tony. Right after the door's _hiss _sound was heard, it was immediately replaced with Pepper's squeal and running footsteps towards them.

'_Well, moment ruined,'_ Bruce thought to himself, amused.

"Is that her?" Pepper asked as she ran the best she could with her heels and the pencil skirt she wore. She looked like a child who just woke up one Christmas morning, remembering the presents she had under the tree. Right then, Natasha knew she was not going to be able to hold _her_ child for a while.

So, Pepper plucked the girl from Steve's hands, gently swinging her as she turned around to face away from Steve and Natasha and facing Tony and Clint who were walking towards them, the latter going a little faster than the other. Tony looked like he was trying to find a possible exit.

"Oh, she's _precious,"_ Pepper gushed as she examined the bundle in her arms. The CEO's smile got bigger when the child squirmed a little and made a little baby noise. "Hello there. I'm your Auntie Pepper."

And when Clint made it to the spot where Pepper was, he immediately tried to take her from Pepper. "Hey, now, Pep, it's time to meet the godfather…"

Pepper looked ready to bite his head off. "You wait there, Mister. I'm not done with her yet," she whined as she turned the baby away from Clint. Clint tried to go in front of her to take the child, but Pepper just kept turning away from him anyway.

"I can tell I'm not even gonna be able to hold my own child when we have one someday," Tony muttered. The group watching them just chuckled.

"You think if we told her now that she's the godmother, she would give the baby back to us?" Steve whispered to Natasha. The latter shook her head.

"Honestly? No."

Steve took his turn in shaking his head before joining his future 'wife', Tony and Bruce in watching the animated banter Clint and Pepper were having.

After lots of chasing, yelling and some of Clint's hair pulled out (or at least what felt like it), Clint finally got hold of his new self-proclaimed (on Clint's part) goddaughter. He bounced her around, eliciting a tiny giggle from the baby.

"Hello there, Tiny Baby," he greeted her in a hushed manner, adding a little bit of baby talk in his tone. "I'm your Uncle Clint, your favorite uncle. Favorite. Uncle. And we're gonna have so much fun. I'm gonna take you to the range-"

"Clint…" Natasha warned, suddenly feeling protective. For some reason, the idea of 'Tiny Baby' being anywhere near danger, however protected she was, did not sit well with her.

With that, Tony stepped behind him. "Hey, nobody is a favorite uncle. Tiny, I can give you anything. That means I get to be the best uncle, right?"

"Hey, hey, hey. First of all, I'm the one who gave her the nickname, which means _I'm _the only one who can call her that. Second, being her godfather-"

"This isn't fair. You obviously have an advantage!"

"Apart from that, I'm her mother's best friend," Clint goaded, making Natasha roll her eyes, Steve raise his eye brows and Tony hold his chin up, becoming competitive.

"Well," Tony started. "I'm the father's best colleague."

That earned a snort from Steve and Natasha's turn in raising her eyebrows. Things were getting established so quickly.

"Sure," Natasha quipped sarcastically.

And so, the banter continued on for a while, with Clint challenging Tony to carry the girl, Tony actually accepting the challenge, Pepper trying to pry her away from them, and Steve, Natasha and Bruce feeling very nervous.

If there was anything she did not expect this week, it was everything that happened during the past week. Getting a long and odd mission, getting married to Steve, having a daughter and, the team adoring the baby. It all happened so quickly, really. She did not even know they liked children. And if there was one thing she lacked during the mission that has always been there in _all_ the missions she has accomplished, it was confidence. Luckily, although she would never admit it, everybody was there to help.

Just a little while after, when the baby was probably getting sick from being passed around, she started to wail as loud as she can, alarming everybody.

"Alright, this is so not part of my job description," Tony said, obviously feeling very scared. He tried to rock the baby in his arms but ended up being not so gentle. The baby wailed even harder causing Natasha to snatch her from him.

"Give her to me," she muttered, starting to rock as gently as possible. "Sshh, sshh," she cooed. She turned around, facing away from the group so that she would have a little privacy trying to comfort the crying child. She felt Steve stepping a little closer to her, as if he was guarding her from them.

"I think it's best if we called it a night. The three of them have a long day tomorrow, and the baby needs to sleep," Bruce said. He started to lead Tony, Pepper and Clint out.

"Alright, bye, Tiny!" Clint called out while walking as if the baby could understand him.

"Bye, Mini Spangle-ett!" Tony added. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Nat, call me if you're shopping for her baby things," Pepper said, excitement filling her hushed voice. After that, the three of them were finally out of the room.

But Natasha was not listening. She continued to sway and rock the child until she finally calmed down and stared up at her with her big green eyes. Eyes that were so like her own. Eyes that she hoped were never going to hold any pain at all.

"I think those three are the danger Fury was talking about," Bruce told Steve, starting to arrange the folders he held when he went in.

"That must be the reason he made us go away," Steve replied. He and Bruce chatted animatedly, keeping their voices hushed so that the baby does not get disturbed again.

"But what about getting a dog-"

"_Dasha._"

Hearing Natasha whisper, both Steve and Bruce turned to her.

"What was that, Nat?" Steve asked, stepping a little closer to her. Natasha turned to face them.

"I want to name her _Dariia_," Natasha said a little louder, never breaking her gaze at the now asleep child in her arms. Steve looked at her; a little amazed that Natasha cared enough to give her a name that seemed special to her.

Bruce looked slightly confused. "But I thought it was 'Tasha'… or 'Dasha'?"

"It's Dasha," Natasha answered, finally looking up. "It's short for 'Dariia'."

"Alright. Dariia it is then." Steve wanted to ask why she chose the name. But he decided against it; he will just wait for the time that she will bring it up.

Natasha touched her sandy blonde hair one more time before looking up at Steve as if asking him if he wanted to hold her. He nodded and then gently picked Dariia up from Natasha's arms.

"Hello, Dari," he whispered just as the child scrunched up her nose in her sleep.

Natasha put her hand on his shoulder as she stayed beside him. "He's your Daddy, Dari. And he's probably never gonna get laid _ever_," she said playfully while wearing her trademark smirk, earning a glare of daggers from Steve.

Bruce, again standing there alone but a little less awkwardly this time, spoke up. "I already noted the name 'Dariia' in her birth details. Do you guys want to give her a second name?"

The soon-to-be pretend couple paused and looked at each other for a few moments before turning back to Bruce. They have not even considered looking for baby names. Maybe it was something they should have done prior to this.

"Uhh," Steve stammered, racking his brain for some baby names. Natasha did the same.

"What about 'Elizabeth'? Or 'Susan'. 'Eleanor'," Bruce suggested. Natasha shook her head in disagreement.

"No. Too English," she said, making Bruce raise an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with that?"

"She's British. And her sister's name was 'Susan'. Might stir up some memories."

"Oh."

"Uhm, 'Stephanie'?" Steve suggested this time, looking at the sleeping baby a couple of times.

"She doesn't look like a Stephanie," Bruce interjected. Natasha could not help but regret that she made Pepper go away. The woman would have given them a million great suggestions already.

Steve started to think about the great women that he knew. Natasha, for one. But her name was out of the question. She was the "mother", after all. Next was Maria. And then Peggy went through his mind. Ahh, Peggy. Maybe 'Margaret' was a good idea. But then her blonde hair and pale skin reminded him of someone. He thought about the pictures when she was a grown up she had in her file. How her eyes were bright with curiosity, excitement, and _kindness_. It was similar to the smile that he thought about when he reminded himself of his morals.

"What about 'Sarah'?" he asked in a very hopeful voice.

Just when he thought they were going to disagree, Natasha said, "Dariia Sarah Rogers. Sounds pretty good."

Steve smiled at her. Of course, it was a good name. Natasha could not possibly deny him of naming her after his late mother. After all, the woman was slightly alike with Virgin Mary. Giving America its _Golden Boy_. She could joke about that to Steve sometime later.

**A/N: I'm so sorry this came out so late. I'll update soon! :D**


	8. New Home

**A/N: Hi! Just as I promised. So, this was NOT reread. I wrote this straight in the fanfiction site and I don't really have time to recheck it. Hope it's still well, though. Enjoy! :D**

**CHAPTER 7**

**NEW HOME**

Steve parked his 5-month old sedan beside Natasha's SUV in the garage of their new home in Salt Lake City. He switched off the car before opening the door and stepping out.

A lot of changes have happened in his life ever since they moved five months ago. For one, he now lived in the suburbs. He had a lifestyle where they lived in a quaint two-story, three-bedroom house with a white picket fence, and where he had friendly neighbors who bring them pies every once in a while. His weekday schedule included waking up, getting ready, and eating breakfast before driving off to work at the U.S. Reserve Army Center. After that, he immediately goes home to his "wife" and "daughter" just in time to see little Dari crawling all over the living room and Natasha trying to whip up dinner in the kitchen.

And just when he stepped inside through the front door, the sight of the little girl seeming to try to wrestle a white teddy bear that was slightly bigger than her beside couch where Natasha, who was chopping carrots in the kitchen island, could see her immediately greeted him.

"Dah-da!" the baby screamed, excited to see Steve as he closed the door behind him and crouch down to scoop her up in his arms.

"Hey there, Tiny. How are you, huh? Have you been good for mommy?" he asked, knowing that she would not even be able to comprehend what he just said. But she giggled anyway as he lightly tickled her tummy. Natasha just chuckled in the background. He kissed Dari's little forehead before walking towards his pretend-wife and kissed her cheek while still holding Dari close to him.

"Hey," he greeted, earning a small smile from Natasha.

"Hey," she greeted back. "How was work?" she asked, lightly smirking.

Steve just shrugged and rocked Dari in his arms. "Nothing special."

Natasha shrugged back and continued to chop vegetables.

For the past five months, they have lived this domestic life. Steve acting like the sole bread-winner and Natasha being a housewife, acting like she was fully focused on raising their little girl, keeping their home livable, and keeping her husband happy. At first, she was overwhelmed at the change of character she had in her life. Or rather, she just got used to it throughout the months. But the fact that she actually had a _routine_ made her rethink if she was the same person. Wake up in the morning, prepare Steve's breakfast, feed Dari, wash the dishes after Steve goes off, taking a bath, clean the house, etc. It was nothing like the life she was used to. But after a while, the peace and quiet (whenever Dari did not cry) actually became a pleasurable experience for her. And it was actually nice to not encounter bloodshed and gore for quite some time.

"You know, Dari just walked across the living room this afternoon," she said, pride and amusement lacing her voice.

Steve turned to face Dari with exaggerated wide eyes and the same pride Natasha had. "Oh, really? My little Dari's a big girl now, isn't she? Isn't she?"

Natasha chuckled some more and shook her head before returning to preparing their dinner, leaving Steve to tickle and pretend to have a with their babbling daughter.

After a while, she was already blanching the vegetables and Steve just put Dari down to play with her stuffed toys on the floor. He went to the sink to wash his hands before helping Natasha clean up the kitchen equipment she used.

"Got any calls from the Tower today?" was a standard question that Steve asks everyday. Fury or Stark would call on an irregular basis either just to check up on them or giving them a small mission to work on that would not disturb one of them on taking watch on Dariia. Either one of them got called. But it was usually Steve who went since Natasha had to keep up a housewife-persona. So, Steve would take leave in his light work in the U.S. Army and visit his real line of work.

"None. Clint called to remind us he's alive and still a jackass though," she replied, keeping her stoic face on. Steve just chuckled.

"Oh? What did he say?" he asked, half-knowing that Clint was just following protocol on checking up on them as well. This time on a regular basis.

"Well, he asked about Dari, about us and our sex lives. Nothing too drastic."

Steve rolled his eyes at this. That was Clint for them. The sex-life analyst who fought for his place as the No. 1 godfather in Dariia's life. And who also helped them on this life-long mission.

"Yeah, or our lack of it," he said.

"There, you said it, Rogers. You're never going to get laid," she teased, that trademark smirk on her face.

"Well, I kind of settled now, _Rogers_, " he said sarcastically while draining the water from the boiler she used.

She chuckled and grabbed the plates from the cupboard. "For the record, _husband,_ I never said I don't get laid every once in a while. You're on your own." She then carried the plates over to the dining table.

Steve was quite sure she was only taunting him, but he could not help but notice there was a slight twitch in his chest when she said that.

* * *

It was exactly 9 PM now. And it was time for Dari to go to bed. Right on schedule.

Feels so fucking _domestic_. As Natasha always says.

She put Dari inside the crib after kissing her cheek. "Good night, _Dasha_," she said, using the Russian version of her name. "Спать хорошо.[1]"

"Mama," Dari called out

Steve smiled lovingly and touched Natasha's shoulder before leaning down to kiss the baby's head. "Good night, little Dari. Sweet dreams." He then pulled the blanket over her tiny body and watched her doze off to her baby dreams.

After checking that the baby monitor was working, the two walked out of the room as quietly as they can, knowing that the baby was a light sleeper and that slight noise could wake her up.

For five months they have kept this up. Natasha remembered the first nights she had to wake up in the middle of the night to the cries of a five-month old.

_It was their 8__th__ night in Salt Lake City. They have now settled and everything seemed to go to its place._

_The sound of wailing emerged from the small stereo beside their bed. Natasha groaned and looked at the clock beside her lamp._

2:41 AM

_Her "baby" was hungry again. Needed breastfeeding. And Natasha was not accustomed to it just yet. Steve shifted beside her, starting to wake up. He was covered with stains of grime and he smelled like gunpowder. He must have just come back from that simple-turned-nasty mission earlier that day._

"_I'll get her," Steve said, still half-asleep and moving to stand up. _

_Natasha, noticing the muscle pain he must be going through, quickly held his arm as said, "No, I'll go get her, Steve. Just go to sleep."_

_He moved to protest but his body seemed to protest and fell back on his side of the bed. He was asleep in no time._

_Natasha chuckled, looking at him for a moment despite the ever-growing wailing sound her daughter was making in the background. She could not help but be amused at Steve's open-mouthed, dead-asleep state. He was dirty, smelly, and looking so damn _cute. _The big guy had too much in his hands lately. There were the Avengers, the whole country, and their little baby. He ought to get some rest while he can._

_So, she stood up and went to the nursery. Once she was by the crib, she immediately carried the little girl as gently as she could, unbuttoned her shirt to reveal her breast and positioned her mouth for breastfeeding. Dari's crying paused when she fed on Natasha's milk, a product of Banner's mammary serum. About 30 seconds later, however, Dari pulled back and started wailing again. Natasha frowned and started to rock her hesitantly, not sure what to do at this point._

_Natasha was never hesitant. This motherhood thing was really starting to change her as a person._

"_What's wrong, _Dasha_?" she cooed, rocking her a little stronger when she started to cry louder. Natasha leaned towards the baby monitor and switched it off so that Steve would not get disturbed in his slumber. Just like a housewife. Caring for her precious husband._

_Dariia just cried even louder, which started to worry Natasha. Should she call on Steve now? He was much better at this parenting thing than she was._

_She shifted Dariia such that she was upright in her arms, with her little head leaning on her right shoulder. She settled on the rocking chair at one corner of the room, overlooking the sky full of stars in the Salt Lake City skies through the window, and lightly rubbed the baby in her arms at the back. Boy, this was going to be a long night._

It was now 9:36 PM; she and Steve were getting ready to go to bed. Their shared bed. Fury made it a point to keep their story up as much as they could. And that meant really acting like a couple. Like sleeping beside each other.

"So, big guy, its Friday today, what have you got for us tomorrow?" she asked while drying her hair.

Steve looked up from his sketchpad and looked at her. Over the months, he had gotten used to seeing Natasha doing her nightly routine in her silk nightgown every night. And to be honest, he got used to it but he never stopped liking it.

"Tony said he was going to stop by tomorrow," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Really? What does he want?"

"Said he was bored."

Natasha shook her head and rolled her eyes. Damn billionaires who had nothing to do with their time.

"Well, is Pepper coming?" She had to admit but she kind of craved for a female companion for a while. To help her with figuring out how the motherhood thing works. Not that Steve was not helping, but Pepper's motherly instinct just topped him for a bit.

"He said she wasn't sure. Stark Industry's going through something right now." He said, going back to his drawing.

"Oh," she said before proceeding to comb her hair.

"_My little _Dasha_, what do you want?"_

_The baby would not stop crying. She was really this close to calling Steve now. She knew she was not cut out for this. She was an assassin, not a caretaker. She could not even get her to stop crying. _

"_Sshh," she felt tears rimming her eyes now. The sleepless nights were getting to her. She used to know how to get out of a situation. But right now, her mind was becoming blank and there was nothing she could think of to make a baby happy anymore._

"_Dammit," she cursed, fighting off the urge to frantically scream now._

_But then suddenly, Dariia stopped crying. And the room was now left with only her small baby noises and her cheeks were red and stained with tears. She was staring at Natasha, her big eyes boring a hole through the assassin's soul._

_Natasha stared back, wondering if the grown woman that was Alice was taking over the baby's body now. But all Natasha could see was curiosity in her eyes, seeming to take in her new mother's appearance. So kind. So innocent. Natasha caressed her sandy blonde hair peeping through the pink hat she was wearing. She vowed Dariia will never have to go through war ever again._

_Something both their past childhoods had to go through._

**Спать****хорошо**** – «Sleep well» **


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